The Mundy Among Us
by ILuvKaoruxHikaru
Summary: A mysterious Mundy girl has a run in with our favorite sheriff. In order to discover the secrets she holds, Bigby agrees to help her, but at what cost? This is an OCxBigby fic. There will be some inappropriate language, but if you've played TWAU, you know what to expect.
1. Chapter 1: Trouble

_[This fanfiction __takes place after season 1 of The Wolf Among Us. If you haven't finished season 1, finish the game first to avoid spoilers. Thank you~!]_

_Trouble_

_They call us Mundies... _

_Creatures of the Mundane World..._

_Rarely does a Mundy ever cross over into Fabletown territory._

_You could say I'm one of a kind._

It was another full day of paperwork, complaining Fables, and migraines. Bigby was getting ready to lock up for the night and head back to his apartment. He was... until his office phone rang. He had a staring contest with the ringing contraption. His brain was pounding into the back of his skull. He rubbed his tired eyes and placed his hand on the phone, telling himself to just let it ring. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the receiver and held it to his ear, "Yeah?"

"Bigby," the hushed voice of Holly sounded in his ears. She sounded like she was trying to be quiet, "look I know it's late, but I've got some guys down here making trouble. I was hoping you could _persuade_ them to leave."

Bigby leaned against his desk, massaging his forehead. He knew it had to be bad or Holly wouldn't call. She was an independent person. It wasn't like her to ask for help, "I'll be right there." he told her, before hanging up. He hoisted himself away from the desk and started for the door, locking up behind him. If things went well he could take care of this and be well on his way back home.

With the Pudding 'n Pie without an owner, Holly had taken the space and revamped it with the compensation she had received for her sister's death. It was the new Trip Trap. The venue was much bigger, which gave room for more pool tables, a couple dart boards, and a few round tables against a wall for people to sit. There was the usual large counter where people could sit on stools and converse with Holly. The stripper pole had been removed, but the stage remained. They used it for Karaoke Fridays now. Hans was without a job, so he started working as Holly's bouncer, but of course, he was off tonight.

Bigby strolled in and down the hallway to hang a left into the bar. Bigby caught a whiff of something the moment he walked in. A scent he had never smelled before. It was fragrant; which was a strange scent to be coming out of a joint like the Trip Trap. That's when he spotted her. A young girl who was probably in her twenties sat in the corner at a table be herself.

She was a Mundy.

"What did you say, asshole!?" growled a clearly intoxicated Fable.

"You got a lot of nerve trying to hustle me at pool!" this man was gripping a pool stick like it was his life line.

Great. Just fucking great. A Mundy decides to cross over the threshold and hang out in a bar with a bunch of idiots.

"You're accusing me of cheating, dwarf?" snarled the one who had been in fact cheating.

"Hey!" barked the wolf, silencing them instantly, "Get out of here. The owner wants you to leave."

"No way, Sheriff!" growled the one who had been doped, "Not until he gives me my money back!"

The girl's interest perked at the word sheriff. She was eying Bigby. Her eyes were glistening with green irises and a gold ring around her pupils. She had long, strawberry blonde hair that crashed like waves down her back.

"Now is really not the time for this." Bigby grunted through his teeth. He wanted these two to come to their senses. A Mundy was among them.

The dwarf noticed the woman was making Bigby uneasy. He stumbled his way over to her and grinned, "Hey beautiful," he grabbed her jaw, despite being somewhat shorter than her, "you like what you see?" the smell of alcohol was so prominent on his breath she scrunched her nose.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" snapped Bigby, coming toward the dwarf. Was he an idiot? "Leave her out of th-!" he was cut off by the other man who used the opportunity when his back was turned to crack Bigby in the back with his pool stick. It snapped in half against the wolf's back, but it hurt no less. Bigby shook off the wolf urging him on the inside to be released. His eyes flashed gold only for a moment.

He flipped over on his back to brace for another attack when suddenly he saw the dwarf fly over him and smack into his assailant. The young Mundy woman was now on her feet, coming toward the two trouble makers. Before they could react she placed her hands on pool tables that stood on either side of her and hoisted her legs up to kick them back against the wall. The force caused her to flip backwards and land on her feet. She didn't wait. Charging forward, she took a couple steps across the top of one of the tables and then swung her leg again to knock them to the ground.

Bigby slowly rose to his feet. Was this real? He stole a glance from Holly who was staring dumbfounded at the situation before her.

"You stupid bitch!" growled the bigger man, staggering to get to his feet.

The girl grabbed a glass off of the nearby table and crushed it into his skull before throwing him aside and coming toward the little one who had been sexually harassing her before. She slammed him into the wall beside his partner and held him there. Her eyes were glowing with a furious light. That's when she felt it. A huge looming shadow fell over her body. She turned around to see the man she had cast aside before was now a giant ogre. He pulled her up off of the ground by her throat and began to crush her wind pipe.

Without thinking, Bigby's instincts took over and he was on the ogre's back, his arm snaked around his throat, putting him in a chokehold to let her go. She couldn't handle that sort of pressure! He would kill her! His plan worked. He tossed the girl into one of the round tables she had been at before and effortlessly peeled the wolf off of his back and threw him against the wall where the dart boards hung.

Bigby's claws started to surface. This was really starting to become a pain in the ass. The Trip Trap was a magnet for irritating fuckers with no respect. His first instinct was to find the girl. She was already standing again. She had a head wound, because Bigby could smell her blood. He watched as she turned the table on its side and gave it a swift kick, pining the ogre against the wall. She came racing toward the beast again, delivering a crackling punch that burst against his Adam's apple like the sound of a cannon.

The green giant collapsed on the ground, trying to breath. She stood over him. Her eyes flickered from glowing to back to their original state. She eyed Holly before turning to face Bigby. She started to walk toward him, but paused to look over her shoulder. She was assuring herself the monster was not coming back for more, "Do what you're told. Get out of here." she said lowly. Once the ogre could retain his glamoured state once more he turned tail and ran. The dwarf wasn't too far behind him. Her eyes fell on Bigby once more. She extended her hand to help him to his feet. His human features had returned by now.

He was in shock. Complete and utter awe. What the hell was going on?

Blood trickled down the side of the girl's face. She closed her eye so it wouldn't seep down into it.

Holly swallowed, unsure if what she just watched was real. A Mundy single-handedly took down a dwarf and ogre all alone.

Bigby reached for a cigarette in his pocket and lit the end with his Zippo lighter, "Got a wash cloth?" he questioned Holly. She nodded. He came toward the bar, "Wet it for me, will ya?"

A few moments later Bigby was sitting across a table in silence as the Mundy girl held the cold, wet, wash cloth to her forehead. She had cleaned the streak of blood off of her face. They were in a grid-lock of a staring contest. Neither knew what to say or how to think.

"Chelsea," she told him.

"What?" he asked.

"My name... it's Chelsea." she nodded.

"How's your head?" Bigby wondered, scratching at his scruff.

"I'm a little dizzy, but I'll survive." she confirmed.

He took a long drag off of his cigarette and flicked an ash on the floor. The smoke seeped out of his partly open lips. He was trying to figure her out, but he couldn't. How did she have such strength? How was she able to toss around an ogre like he was a dwarf? Why did her eyes glow?

"You're... you're one of them too, right?" she asked, finally breaking the silence that seemed to be suffocating the whole room.

"Not exactly," it wasn't a lie. He definitely wasn't a dwarf or an ogre.

She cocked an eyebrow at him, "So I saw something I wasn't supposed to see huh?" she asked, expectantly.

Bigby's bushy eyebrows raised at her perceptiveness, but he remained silent. He was fixated on those eyes of hers. They drew one in. They were lovely. She wasn't the least bit afraid; of him or the situation.

"What do you do with people people like me?" she questioned.

Bigby put the cigarette out on the table and leaned back in his seat, "This doesn't happen very often." he wasn't sure how to answer her. They'd probably be forced to use a memory wiping spell on her. He didn't want to, but Snow was deputy mayor and the boss while Cole was away. This was going to be a pain in the ass.

"Well, since trouble seems to be drawn to you like a magnet... I was hoping you could help me." she laced her fingers on the table and leaned forward.

"Are_ you _in trouble?" he replied, mirroring her posture and leaning in curiously.

The girl's eyes darted to Holly who couldn't help, but eavesdrop. Quickly she turned away and went into the back room to give them some privacy, "You're thinking... you've never seen something like this before. A human with powers like this... I'm assuming you guys refer to it as magic?" she licked her full lips and continued, "A couple years back before I moved to New York I was walking to my car in a parking lot one night when I was attacked. This fire ignited inside me. I punched that guy so hard in the jaw it shattered it." she stared off into space, like she was revisiting that moment, "He had a burn mark across his face... that was the first time it happened." She held her hand, palm up to show him. A light flared out of it, waltzing around her hand enchantingly and then flaring up when she clenched it into a fist.

Instantly the energy dispersed and she let her hand drop to the table, "Can you help me? Figure out what caused this to happen to me?"

His gaze drifted back and forth between hers, "You were seeking me out intentionally... weren't you?"

She tilted her head. A smirk tried to conceal itself on her face, "It's like I said... where you go, trouble is sure to follow."

She must have been scoping out Fabletown for a while. He couldn't exactly blame her. If something tore her from normalcy such as this, anyone would want some answers. He just wasn't sure he could give those answers to her. Even if Snow agreed to let him investigate, they'd surely have to wipe her memories after, "I can't promise you the answers you get are the ones you'll want."

"Anything is better than not knowing." she sighed. She watched as he put another cigarette to his lips. She took note of the brand on his cigarette box. Her eyebrow twitched with discovery. Her green eyes locked with his amber ones, "I'm already in this... so can you tell me your name?"

The sheriff let out a deep breath, smoke coming from his nostrils. Was it wise to tell her? She seemed to already know a lot more than she let on. He licked the inside of his cheek before replying, "Bigby."

"Bigby," she said his name. It was like poetry when she said it, "Sheriff?"

He gave her a nod of confirmation.

She looked down at her lap. Sitting back in her chair a sadness seemed to appear on her face, "Am I... going to get you into trouble?"

The corner of his lip twitched upward with slight amusement, "Probably..." he stood up from his chair, "but she'll get over it. She always does." he was referring to Snow, "Unfortunately with what you've seen tonight, I can't let you return to wherever you call home... so you'll have to come with me."

Chelsea stood up and started following him out of the bar. Bigby paused to call out to Holly, "Holly!" Holly poked her head out of the door of the back room, "Send a damage report over to the business office." he left her with those words and started out the door with his latest case in tow.

It wasn't long before they approached The Woodland Luxury Apartment building.

Bigby decided the only way to keep a watchful eye on the Mundy girl was to keep her with him. That meant sharing his very small apartment with her. He unlocked the door and pushed it open, allowing her entry. She took a quick look around, but didn't say a word. Her eyes went from the single armchair near the back, to the television, and traveled to the table with a couple of chairs. She took note of all the cigarette butts inside an ashtray on the table. He smoked like a chimney, "Luxury?" she asked him with a tilt of her head.

He shook his head, "Don't always believe what you read."

"About time you got home." said a voice. A pig came strutting out of the kitchen as if he owned the place. He seemed to freeze up the moment he laid eyes on Chelsea.

Chelsea stared at him in shock. A talking pig?

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you showed up, Colin." Bigby muttered, making his way across the room.

"Woah, woah... you're taking in Mundies now?" Colin pestered, following after the wolf.

"Mundy? Is that some sort of derogatory term?" Chelsea questioned, staying put.

"She's different, Colin." Bigby defended, taking a seat in his armchair. He could tell by the glint in the swine's eyes he was not letting this one go.

The pig was giving him an expecting look, "Look Bigby, I know a man has... needs... but... a Mundy?"

Bigby rolled his eyes, "It's not like that alright? It's... a long story. One I don't want to get into right now."

Chelsea pulled out a chair from the table and took a seat. Her eyes went back to the ashtray on the table. The memory of the _Huff n' Puff _cigarette box was still fresh in her mind. Now there was a pig in his apartment. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to figure this out. They passed what she only could assume was his office on the way here. The door said...

Wolf

Bigby Wolf... Big B. Wolf...

Slowly she turned her gaze to the man across the room. He was human. She felt like the least ordinary being in the room. Bigby felt her eyes on him and opened his sleepy ones to meet her gaze. Her expression softened, "So... you're all fable characters... like the ones in the books."

"She already knows too much, Bigby." Colin huffed. He made his way over to the girl to get a better look at her, "Least she's a cute one."

Chelsea wasn't sure whether to pet him or swat him, "Colin, right? Were you one of the three pigs?"

"Smart too..." Colin remarked, turning his big head back to Bigby who was nodding off, "I thought you only liked cold, distant types."

"So," she had to ask, "you're the Big Bad Wolf then?"

Colin wasn't sure how Bigby would react to that, but he couldn't help himself from commenting, "Big and Bad... don't give him an ego sweetheart."

Bigby lifted his head with a sigh. He gave the girl a once over, "You don't seem scared."

"I'm not." she shook her head, "If you wanted to kill me, you'd have done it by now."

Bigby rubbed his eyes and slowly took to his feet once more. He came toward her and looked down into her eyes. She was as calm as could be. She really wasn't afraid. He scratched at his scruff and let out a sigh, "Look, I'm just going to give you a heads up... everyone here is from a story or tale you were told as a kid."

"You're being quite generous with secret information don't you think? What are you going to do? Use some sort of memory wiping spell on the girl?" Colin asked. If Bigby didn't have a filter, Colin's was caked with sarcasm and blunt truth.

Chelsea could sense Bigby was growing more and more tense. The pig was irritating him badly. Holding out her hand to the pig, she ignited it, showing him why she was here. Colin's eyes grew at the sight of it.

"What... the fuck?" the pig asked flatly.

"That's why she's here." Bigby told him. He walked passed the girl and opened one of the two doors that remained closed at all times. It was a bedroom that looked like it had remained untouched, "You can sleep in here if you want. We'll get this figured out tomorrow once the business office opens. Bufkin might have some idea as to what's going on."

Chelsea met his side by the doorway. Bigby turned and wandered back over to his armchair. She stared at him thoughtfully for a bit before saying, "Thanks Bigby." and left the door open about a quarter of the way and went inside. She fell back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling like she was searching for answers. Hearing the door creak a bit, she lifted her head to see Colin wander in. He was still very curious about this girl. Plus he was a talker. It would be interesting to speak to a Mundy. He never had before, "Does he always sleep like that?" she asked the pig, still half surprised she was holding a conversation with one.

"I've never been in here before. So that should answer your question." Colin told her, laying against the wall on the floor.

A memory wiping spell... Did they have the power to do that? It didn't take long for her to slip into unconsciousness. Her dreams were deep and disjointed. She saw flashes of a lake, being submerged in water, and not being able to breathe. It was a strange feeling. Like the same one gets when they have that dream they're falling through nothingness.

Author's Notes: I've been on a serious Wolf Among Us/Fables/Bigby kick lately... so I did this mostly for fun. I'd like to see where this goes in my free time. It will eventually have more characters from the _Fables_ comic series. We shall see where this goes. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2: Not One of Us

_Not One of Us_

Bigby stirred early the next morning. His body never let him sleep long. He probably only got about six hours of sleep, which was better than usual. He stood up from his chair, cracked his whining joints and stretched out any spring indentations that now left swollen knots in his back. Shifting his rotator cuff in his shoulder he started for the kitchen, doing his usual routine of peering into the empty fridge, pulling out a smoke, lighting it, and starting his coffee machine.

"Good morning," his latest house guest walked into the kitchen. Bigby almost forgot about the whole situation. He looked her over with tired eyes, noticing her hair was wet. She had a certain warm glow about her. It was natural against her ivory silk skin, "I hope you don't mind, but I used your shower."

He rubbed at his eye, "Don't worry about it." His mind couldn't help but wander to the thought that, that might be the only time a beautiful woman would ever be found in his shower.

She approached him and stood beside him at the counter, "Not a morning person?" she jabbed with a raise of her eyebrow.

His eyes locked onto hers and then to his coffee maker which was hesitating to do as it was told, "Hardly," he muttered through his teeth that were locked around his cigarette. His eyes narrowed at the piece of malfunctioning technology in front of him.

The blonde reached across him and flipped a switch on the machine. After a moment the rich dark liquid started to sputter from the spout into the coffee pot. She gave him a sympathetic smile, "It has to heat up first, or you'll just get water." His eyes went back to her. He wore his usual stoic expression, "You're welcome." her smile widened, taking a couple steps around him to sit at his kitchen table.

Bigby kept his palms flat on the counter. His eyes however, never faltered from the hour glass figured girl as she tugged on a piece of her hair aimlessly. Her smell was overwhelming. Even with the cigarette smoke inches from his nose, it was still overcome by this new smell. The pot filled about halfway and stopped. He pulled two cups from the cupboard above his head and filled them. Taking a seat at the table with her he set the cup down in front of her, "Hope you like it black." he commented.

The corner of her lip twitched up with happiness. Her delicate fingers curled around the glass, welcoming the touch of warmth it brought to her hands, "I think I appreciate the company far more." Her eyes raised, looking at him over the coffee cup.

There was a tickling tinge in his stomach as he fought off the feeling with a swallow of his drink. He scratched at the stubble that covered his chin, plucking the cigarette from his lips to put it out in the nearby ashtray. He curled his lips inward to run his tongue across them before opening his mouth to speak.

"Don't I get a cup?" Colin wondered, strutting into the kitchen to greet them.

"You're still here?" Bigby grunted, shifting his body to look passed the woman and to the swine who seemed to piggyback off his apartment.

"I forgot how much of an asshole you are in the morning." The pig remarked, approaching the table.

Bigby stood up and clasped his hand against his leg in his pocket, "We'll leave in a little bit." he told the Mundy in his kitchen, before moving passed the two home invaders and making his way to the bathroom to freshen up. If he didn't shower before work Snow would comment on how terrible he smelled. He could hear it now.

The girl stood up and filled another cup for the pig, finishing off the coffee pot. She turned to him and set it down in front of him, "Thanks sweetheart." he said with a grateful smile, before lapping up the liquid. He looked up at her and said, "If we worked together we could kick him out. You're a much more hospitable roommate."

A chuckle lodged itself in her throat as she gave a light shake of her head and took a sip from her cup, "It was nice of him to let me stay here. Granted I think it's more for your guys safety than hospitality, but still..." her head turned to the window that had the blinds drawn over it, "I can just tell... he's really kind."

Bigby reappeared in the kitchen two ticks later with his usual outfit on: black shoes, black work pants, a button up white shirt with the sleeves rolled up just below his elbows, and a black tie. His shirt was partly unbuttoned and his tie was draped over his shoulders while he resumed buttoning the shirt up the rest of the way. There was already a new cigarette dangling out of his mouth. As he tied the tie around his collar he noted the girl had given Colin a cup of his own and grimaced at her charity, "We should head to Snow's office." he told her.

Snow? Snow White? This was so strange. Were there going to be blue birds flying around her office singing little tunes while seven dwarves marched about? She hoped not. Standing abruptly to her feet, Chelsea followed after Bigby who had already started for the door.

They walked down the hall and of course a small cluster of Fables has assembled a line outside Snow's office. When the group caught a glimpse of the girl, it was as if they were seeing a phantom. Among the face's was none other than Bluebeard, "What the devil?" Bigby didn't break stride as he moved to the front of the line and allowed Chelsea entry before slamming the door behind him.

Snow was zoned into some paperwork she was looking over, "Good morning Bigby," she greeted, knowing his entrance anywhere. Her eyes blinked up momentarily, then shot up in a hurry, as she stood up abruptly from her desk. Her mouth hung open with disbelief, as her jaw moved trying to formulate a sentence.

"Before that vein in your forehead bursts, let me explain." Bigby insisted, crumbling the cigarette between his thumb and index finger, "There was a fight at the Trip Trap last night... she was there..." he wasn't exactly sure how to continue, "She's... different Snow."

"What is a Mundy doing here, Bigby?" sneered Snow, crossing her arms.

Chelsea was getting tired of being called that word already. It felt like an insult. Like she was below these people somehow.

The office door swung open and a flawlessly faced man with black hair, blue eyes, and perfect teeth came strolling in, "What's this I hear? Something about a Mundy in the Woodlands?" it was none other than Prince Charming.

Bluebeard silently came in after the intruder and closed the door behind him, flashing the others outside a cocky grin of amusement.

"Okay, everyone get the fuck out." growled Bigby, coming toward Charming and Bluebeard.

Charming continued passed the grouchy wolf and looked the woman over like she was a piece of livestock, "Huh... I feel like we would have met before now." he smiled at her, "Though if we had met... trust me... you'd remember." he winked at her.

Chelsea gave him a cold look, "You must be Charming." her eyes narrowed.

"That's right." He nodded, "They also call me Prince." He cupped her face with his hand, rubbing his thumb against her cheek, "What do they call you? Gorgeous, I'd assume."

She jerked her head away from his hand and gave Bigby a look.

"Knock it off." Bigby protested, coming to her aid.

"Settle mutt. We're just talking." Charming said nonchalantly.

Chelsea eyed a pair of swords jutting out of a slender bin. Her eyebrow went up as she moved passed the men and went to retrieve a couple of blades, "Hey! Pretty boy!" she called to the Prince across the room, "How are you with a sword?"

The corner of the Prince's mouth curled up, "If you're lucky, you may just find out." he wasn't talking about an actual sword.

Chelsea tossed him the blade, not carrying whether he cut himself trying to catch it, "Want to know why I'm here Miss White?" Chelsea questioned, coming forward, "I'll show you."

"I detest fighting a woman." Charming said with a disapproving look.

"It makes me no difference. Are you ready?" the Mundy girl wondered, giving him a chance to ready himself. She straightened the sword into an upward stance. Charming chuckled lightly, holding his sword out to her lazily like he was hardly taking her seriously. In the flicker of a second her sword was crossed against his. She was fast. Incredibly fast. Snow leaned in, suddenly enthralled by what was happening before her eyes. Bigby and Bluebeard stood on the other side of the scuffle, also very much in shock.

No one was more cut off guard than Charming. It took him a moment to parry the girl, "You're... feisty." he breathed, removing his jacket so he could move more freely.

She came at him again without hesitation, this time striking his sword with such force he had a hard time keeping up. Her eyes started to glow white as her blows became more ferocious. After displaying her stamina she tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword and began making horizontal slashes at his blade, cutting it like butter three times. When he was left with a stub of a blade, she flicked her wrist, knocking what remained of the blade from his hand and putting the tip of her victorious sword an inch from his Adam's apple, "Do not touch me again." she warned coldly, her eyes reverting back to normal before spinning on her heel and approaching Snow White. She stuck her hand out, palm up, to display her light powers to the woman, "This is why I'm here... do you know why I can do this?"

Snow couldn't speak. She just watched as a woman single-handedly took down Charming at swordplay. The man who was known as the most crafty swordsmen of all Fables. Bluebeard was grinning as if he had just found the perfect woman. Seeing Charming's skin crawl was quite humorous to him. Bigby also found the scene to be entertaining, but he was also in quite a bit of shock. This woman was a skilled fighter, but how? How in such a modernized world was she able to convert her combat tactics on the flip of a dime?

Snow smoothed her skirt with her fingertips, "Bluebeard, Charming... Leave. The sheriff and I have a lot to discuss with our... guest."

It took some coaxing from Bigby, but they were finally escorted out the door with a swift slam. Bigby locked the door so there wouldn't be anymore intrusions.

Snow rubbed her temples, "Word of this is going to spread fast. People will be thrown into a panic about a Mundy walking among us freely in Fabletown." she shook her head, staring absently at her desk.

"What was I supposed to do, Snow? She approached me." Bigby cupped his hand over a new cigarette between his lips, igniting the tip, and placing the lighter back in his pants pocket.

"How..?" Snow didn't know where to begin, "How did this happen?" she asked the young woman who stood before her curiously.

"It just... happened." Chelsea explained, returning the sword to the bin she found it in.

"Can I come out?" a voice asked from out of no where.

"Go ahead, Bufkin." sighed Snow.

A flying monkey appeared from behind a wardrobe and flew down to land on Snow's desk. Chelsea's heart swelled. She couldn't help but smile, "Wow..." she mouthed. A good flying monkey? That seemed strange. But was it really? Bigby seemed totally tame and he was supposed to be the Big Bad Wolf. This was so strange.

"Fascinating." Bufkin inquired, looking the girl over, "I've never met a Mundy before. How do you do?"

Chelsea grabbed at her elbow nervously, "It's been... an interesting twenty four hours..." she said with some reluctance, "If you're Bufkin... Bigby said he thought you might be able to help me."

Bufkin momentarily gave her a saddened look, "I can try. The answer may be in one of these books, but..." he looked over his shoulder and then back to her alluring green stare, "It will take me some time to find the information. We have quite the library here."

"Is there some way I can help? I can help you research." Chelsea suggested.

"I apologize," Snow cut in, "but we have some pretty confidential information inside those books. It would be in both of our best interest, if we tried to figure this out for you."

Chelsea stared at the woman for a time. She was beautiful. She had jet black hair, crystal blue eyes, a nice figure, and her clothes were ironed to prestige condition. However, there was something about her that irked the girl, "Because I'm a _Mundy_?" she asked, in an almost mocking tone. The blonde's eyes looked about the giant office, "Look, I get it. I'm an outsider. I don't belong here and you've all made that loud and clear." her voice started to shake, "But right now, I don't belong out there either! I get angry or fed up and my eyes start to glow!" her emotions were starting to bubble out and as a result, that bright light appeared in her eyes, "I can pick up grown men three times my size. Hell-!" the girl started to lift off of the ground, suspended in air with no help of wings or flying contraption, "Does this look normal to you?!"

She swiftly landed on her feet and pressed her hands down on the desk, "Don't act like you give a _shit _what happens to me. Do you honest to God think my intention is to go out and tell the world I spoke to Snow White and spent the night inside the Big Bad Wolf's apartment? I would be considered a lunatic!" she quickly turned around and started for the door, "Don't worry, your secret is safe with this _Mundy_. At the end of this, you're just going to make me forget anyway right!?" she unlocked the door and slammed it behind her.

Snow had a mix of emotions on her face; she was irritated by the girl's outburst, worried that she would wander out into the streets and start preaching about Fabletown, and downright confused by everything that just happened in her office. She let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed at her eyes.

"Poor girl..." Bufkin murmured, "She's so lost. And we thought we didn't have a place in this world..." the wise bookworm took flight and started back for his countless bookshelves of endless information.

Bigby felt his heart sink. If anyone knew what if felt like being an outsider among his people, it was him.

"Go after her Bigby." Snow instructed, "It's just as dangerous for her to be wandering out in the streets of Fabletown as it is for us. Convince her to come back... we'll... figure something out." the woman shook her head and sat back down in her chair.

Bigby headed for the door and paused with his hand on the door knob. He exhaled and opened it, stepping out into the now empty hallway, following the fragrant scent of the Mundy girl. She took the stairwell, so down the steps he went.

Author's notes: I got some pretty nice feedback from chapter one so I wanted to thank those who read and reviewed. It's much appreciated. As I said before random characters that haven't been introduced to the game series yet will be popping up in this fanfiction. Thanks for reading. I'll see you guys at chapter 3.


	3. Chapter 3: Suspect

_Suspect_

The sheriff was down the stairs in a flash, moving passed Grimble's desk toward the front doors of The Woodlands. Like usual the guard was asleep at his desk, wasting away the hours with his hat tipped over his face to create a shadow. With a slight shake of his head, Bigby was out the door, readying himself to strut down the next small group of steps that awaited him, only to be stopped by the sight of the very girl he was pursuing. He paused, placing his hand in his pocket and pressing his palm against the contents inside. He ran his tongue across his teeth before silently taking a seat beside her.

The blonde's hair cascaded in the autumn breeze. Her skin scrunched together in displeasure at the chill. Her attention was never torn from the changing color of the leaves nearby. She let out a light sigh, grasping her arms around her knees and lowering her lips to be shielded by her forearm.

Bigby watched her movements while straightening his leg to remove his pack of smokes from his pocket. He patted the case against the back of his hand, only to notice that nothing remained. He crumpled the pack in his grasp, feeling his free hand fidget. He was a habitual addict. Her scent was so invigorating. He hadn't smelled something so welcoming since Snow. He wanted to be engulfed by this scent and never smell it again all at the same time. The wolf rubbed his eyes, but when his hand fell back to his side, there was her hand, outstretched in front of him with a new, wrapped pack of Huff 'n Puffs between her delicate fingertips.

"That bar only had this brand, but I snagged you a pack on the way out." she told him simply, a small smile lifting her once saddened lips. He plucked the pack from her hand and looked it over as if he had never seen it before. Their eyes met, and that's when he saw it: her eyes were smiling. They had little crow's feet that were making her ever vibrant green eyes all the more beautiful. She gathered her hair over her shoulder, exposing her pale skin on her neck. Her eyes went back to the tree, "I probably got you in a bit of trouble back there. I'm sorry. I'm just so jumbled up." a half laugh, half cough caught itself in her throat, "I don't know why I'm here."

Bigby lit the end of a fresh cigarette and breathed out the smoke. He was finally able to relax, "We'll get it figured out." he assured her without any doubt. It was his job after all. This was a cake walk compared to a murder case.

"Help!" a woman cried. Instantly after a man could be seen between the fence that separated The Woodlands from the rest of Fabletown. Bigby stood up, but Chelsea bolted. She lifted the latch to open the gate and made a beeline for the thief making off with the woman's bag. She rammed into the man with ease and forced him against the brick wall. Her forearm was against his Adam's apple.

"Impressive," murmured the thief, tossing the purse aside as if it never mattered. Bigby was closing the gap between himself and the scene, casting his cigarette aside. That's when he saw it. Suddenly Chelsea and the mysterious figure were gone. All that remained was the woman. When Bigby turned to her however, she had a wicked grin on her face.

"Where's the girl?" growled the wolf.

Chelsea had reappeared in a dark alleyway. She looked about her surroundings, unsure of how she got here, "Good morning, Miss." a voice smooth and sophisticated called from behind her. She turned to face the tall, slender figure of a man. His jet black hair was gelled to perfection. His glinting eyes almost appeared to be a purple-ish blue. He wore a gray suit with buckled black shoes, "Sorry to separate you from your friend, but I wanted to speak with you in private." he paused, looking up at the mouth of the alley way, "He's already found us." he had a look on his face of utter disgust.

"Hey!" she heard a voice from far away. It was familiar, "Chelsea!" she took a sharp inhale of breath and suddenly started choking. She couldn't breathe. Her legs grew heavy. Collapsing to the dirty ground she coughed violently. Bigby rushed to her side, analyzing their surroundings. He bent down on one knee and clutched her shoulders with his strong hands, "Hey!" she could suddenly breathe again.

Her teary eyes fluttered open, "Bigby..." her voice was hoarse, "where did that man go?"

"I don't know." he murmured, "It was some attempt at a trap. Did he hurt you?" he looked her over, "You look okay. Where did he run off to?"

His words were puzzling to her, "He was right here. Didn't you see him?" confusion clouded her voice.

"The thief?" the wolf wondered.

"No," she shook her head, "the nicely dressed man that was just here."

The return to the luxury apartments felt like a thousand mile trek. Once inside the elevator, there was a deafening silence. Chelsea was analyzing the situation carefully, trying to figure out what the brief encounter meant. Bigby never saw the well-dressed gentleman. His face was still embedded in her mind. Her eyebrow twitched, coming to a realization. When the elevator doors opened, the Fabletown sheriff reached for the doorknob of Snow's office and propped it open with his foot, allowing the Mundy girl entry.

Chelsea's eyes met Snow's only briefly before she cast her gaze away and quietly took a place beside the woman's desk without a word. Something about that woman. She was always so rigid. Bigby approached the desk, "Find anything?" he questioned, rounding the desk and leaning against the wood beside the mayor's chair.

"Nothing yet, but Bufkin is looking." Snow informed, rubbing her forehead stressfully. She turned her chair to Bigby, "The Fabletown Funds Event is tomorrow you know. There's still so much planning to be done."

The wolf scoffed at the notion. Seemed like that event's only purpose was to give Fables a glimpse back into the Homelands. It was an event to raise money for the quality of Fabletown, but its purpose was masked by the fact that it was set up just like a ball. He never was one accustomed to the life of the royal and the knightly. Why couldn't Bluebeard just sign a check and be done with it? He was always the biggest contributor. He enjoyed the bragging rights. Plus, he was one of the only Fables who was able to bring his stash of valuables from the Homelands to the new world, "I hate those things."

Chelsea phased in and out of the conversation. All the while she plucked a pen from Snow's desk and a piece of blank paper. She immediately started to etch something out onto the blank page. It didn't take long for something recognizable to start appearing on the page. Bufkin, who seemed to appear out of no where, landed on the desk beside the girl and watched her work, "That's incredible! Who is it?"

The blonde girl tucked some hair behind her ear, "This was the guy in the alleyway."

"Alleyway?" wondered Snow, being pulled from her previous conversation with the sheriff.

Chelsea held up the picture to Bigby so he could get a look, "You didn't see this guy? Do you recognize him at all?"

Bigby focused onto the picture. Bufkin was right. She was talented. His eyebrow perked, "If he's a Fable, I've never seen him."

"What makes you think he's a Fable?" Bufkin wondered.

"He used some magic on me I think..." she thought back, remembering the disoriented feeling she got, "Maybe he had me in a trance. The moment I heard Bigby's voice I started coughing like I couldn't breathe. When I felt him grab me that's when this guy disappeared." her voice trailed off, "We were set up."

Bigby's eyes locked with hers, "That would make sense." he had to agree. It all seemed too convenient otherwise, "If that's the case... we're not the only ones who know about you."

"He was seeking me out for something. He even said he wanted a moment alone with me and seemed pretty pissed when you found us." Chelsea let that roll around in her brain, "Maybe he knows something about all of this." she turned to the flying monkey, "Could he be in one of your books?"

Bufkin took the picture from the girl's hand and looked it over, "All Fables who have made it here from the Homelands are kept in our records. It could take a while to find him, but I'll try."

"Is someone going to explain to me what exactly happened?" Snow wondered, curling her lower lip up and tapping her foot impatiently.

"A girl was being attacked," Chelsea said, taking some of Snow's burning stare off of Bigby, almost like she was trying to protect him, "She had been mugged and some thug was making off with her purse, so I jumped him, but when I did, the next thing I know I'm in some alleyway and another man is standing before me..." she looked back at her sketch, "They were two different men... and there was that woman..."

"She up and disappeared soon after you did." Bigby mentioned, reaching in his pocket for a cigarette, "If looks could kill, I'd be dead right now, that's for sure." he muttered through gritted teeth that were pressed firmly around his cigarette. Lighting the end he took a drag and let the smoke pour from his parted lips.

"Maybe they were working for that guy. The whole thing was staged to get our attention." Chelsea told him, playing detective. She stared at the floor momentarily, "Or maybe those two were merely an illusion he created..."

"Magic can sometimes serve as a signature of sorts for Fables." Bufkin said aloud, "I'll check the records for our mysterious nameless fellow and see what I can find. Perhaps he can be found under illusion or hypnosis." He placed the paper on the desk before taking flight and starting back toward the bookshelves.

Snow picked up the piece of paper, looking over the man's face. It looked as though she was trying with every ounce of her being to remember it if she could. There were still so many people in this town she did not know. It bothered her immensely. A sad expression appeared on the woman's face as she came to terms with that passing thought. Bigby was watching her carefully sensing her distress.

There.

That face. Chelsea noticed it instantly in his eyes. The way he looked at her. It was so soft. She recognized that look.

Snow tossed the paper back onto the desk, gripping her arm at elbow sifting through her thoughts.

Chelsea stared at the paper hard like she was trying to burn holes through it with her eyes, "That event you're talking about... how popular is it?"

Snow gave her a confused stare, "Everyone will be there. It's practically unspoken rule that every Fable in Fabletown attends the ball. It's a social gathering just as much as it is necessary for funding Fabletown."

Chelsea narrowed her eyes, "If that's true... he'll be there." a small smirk appeared on her face, "And so will I."

"Hold on," Snow protested, "you can't just go there and crash the event. This is Fabletown tradition. I'm sorry, but the fact of the matter is, is you're a..." Snow bit back the word and rephrased, "You're not a Fable."

"I'm not," Chelsea agreed, "but I think tomorrow night," she walked over and locked arms with Bigby, "I'll be the sheriff's date." she flashed them a wink.

Snow was in shock, followed by irritation, "What?"

Bigby didn't seem phased by the notion. This girl was perceptive. She deserved the right to help figure out this case, "He has some way of knowing where she is... If she's there, he'll show. It makes sense."

"It's too dangerous." Snow argued.

Bigby tilted his head and moved closer to Snow, giving her all of his focus, "Remember when you said you didn't want to be Crane's errand girl anymore and sit behind a desk?" Snow averted her eyes from the piercing amber irises Bigby possessed, "She deserves that same respect Snow. We'll be discrete."

Snow looked passed the wolf and laid her eyes on the alluring Mundy girl with the excessively long, strawberry blonde hair, "See to it that you are." the stiff woman remarked, her eyes narrowing when they shifted back to the sheriff.

The next morning Bigby was sacked out in his chair. An pleasing aroma he hadn't smelled for ages filled his nostrils. It smelled like... bacon? He lifted his head which seemed to weigh a ton. Rubbing some determined knots out of the back of his neck, he slowly staggered to his feet and rounded the corner into his kitchen.

There his female house guest stood, cracking eggs onto his hot plate. He watched her work quietly before saying, "I know Colin is a pain in the ass, but you didn't have to cook him."

She turned her head to him and her shoulders quaked with laughter, "Colin was gone when I woke up this morning."

"I'd be happier if you had answered with_ "Things happen."_ He'll be back. Don't worry about that." Bigby said with dry sarcasm, as if he had a pest problem that never seemed to go away. He sat down at his small round dining table. She approached him and set a plate of bacon, eggs, and sausage down in front of him. She also already had a pot of coffee prepared. She placed a full cup beside the plate to compliment it, "I hope you like it black." she mused, mimicking his words from the morning before.

Bigby was slightly surprised by all of this, "What's this for?" she went through all of this trouble for him? Why?

She had prepared herself a plate and sat down across from him. Her coffee cup was in her other hand as she set them down on the table, "A man takes a gal to a dance... The least she can do is make him a meal." she said, half-joking. She looked up to see those amber-honey eyes churning. Her expression molded into a look of admiration. There was that smile again, "Consider it my way of thanking you. You stood up for me."

The smell of the breakfast food had been burning his nostrils, pleading for him to start eating. He hadn't realized how long it had been since he had, had a home cooked meal. He picked up a piece of bacon and started munching on it. He seemed pleased with the taste, which was assuring to the cook.

Chelsea watched his movements as he went from one thing to the next sampling it in his own way. Her index finger tapped gently on the table as if she was debating on telling him something, "I went out this morning." she told him honestly.

Bigby stopped chewing, but his expression didn't change.

"I didn't want to drag you somewhere to shop for clothing for tonight. Honestly I feel bad when girls do that to men so..." she never broke eye contact to assure him her intentions were genuine, "I was only gone maybe forty minutes. I came back. I didn't want you to think I was hiding it from you."

She was honest to a fault. Bigby had a way of seeing the honest intentions of people. This girl was no exception. He started to eat again. When he swallowed, he opened his mouth to speak, "You shouldn't go out alone. Something might have happened. I'm not going to lecture you on it. Just keep in mind where you are." he left it at that. He was too busy indulging in the meal to worry too much over something so trivial. He did wonder though, "Did anyone see you?" he asked, chewing.

She shook her head, "I was careful. I did a lot of traveling across rooftops to keep out of sight. I used back alleys and such on the ground." she was smart. Bigby admired that about her. She was cautious. If she wasn't a Mundy, he'd make her his deputy right then and there. Chelsea had a natural knack of deciphering people and information effortlessly. He felt like for the first time, he could relate to someone.

Bigby was finished with his meal quite quickly. This was more of a snack to someone with an appetite like the Big Bad Wolf. He stood up from the table and gulped down his coffee before putting it back down on the table, "I'm going to go to Snow's office and help Bufkin search. You coming?"

Chelsea had barely made a dent in her meal, "I think I'll hang around here for a while. Straighten up the place and clean up the kitchen from my breakfast adventure." she flashed him a smile, "When does the shindig start?"

Bigby tried to remember when that headache induced gathering started, "I believe the doors open at five. We'll take a cab there. Try to be ready by 4:30. If I'm late Snow will be pissed. Everyone tries to bother her with issues and I usually have to step in and remind them she's not behind her desk." he straightened his tie and started for the door.

"Regardless of the circumstances, I hope you have a good day Biggs." she told him gently, adding a nickname.

He paused with his hand on the doorknob and looked back at her. Something about that smile and her tone of voice. It melted him. He quickly exited before he could smile and make a fool of himself.

Time inched by for the sheriff as he stared at many books that day. His head was spinning from the information intake. None of which was helpful. With each step back to his apartment his head pounded. Turning the doorknob he looked about the apartment to see that she had in fact straightened it up. The kitchen was spotless. All the dishes had been cleaned and put away. The living room had been picked up and his table had empty ashtrays where mountains of cigarette butts had once pilled up. His desk papers had all been neatly stacked. This place had definitely been touched by a woman. Grabbing at his tie subconsciously he wandered into the bedroom to find his bathroom door closed and the light on, "Hey! I'm home!" he called to her.

"Hey!" she called back from the other side of the door.

He made his way over to his closet, noting that she had even made the bed. Scratching at his scruff he pushing hanging clothes aside in his closet to find something nicer to wear to the ball tonight, "You didn't have to clean you know." he jabbed, finding the one suit he possessed in his closet. It wasn't anything fancy. He didn't like clothes that suffocated him and this thing had a habit of doing so.

"I think we both know I did." she remarked back.

He smirked to himself hearing her words before starting to unroll his sleeves and put his suit jacket on. He sat at the foot of the bed and slipped off his shoes so he could unbutton his pants and put the matching suit pants on in their place. He didn't care if she were to come walking out. To this day Bigby really didn't consciously feel insecure naked. As a wolf, he was always naked. It still felt more natural to him that way. He put his shoes back on his feet and looked to the bathroom door, "You almost ready in there?"

"Yeah, just a sec." she told him, checking herself in the mirror one last time. The doorknob turned and out she came. She had a black dress on with small straps. The dress was cut at an angle at the bottom so one of her legs was exposed. The bottom frilled into elegant waves at the end. The shorter side had two cords that hung down over her leg. Her hair was half pulled back. Each side had been fastened in the back and fashioned into a brilliant mess of waves and curls down the length of her back. A few curls dangled down the sides of her face to frame the round pale structure. Her lips were a light natural color. Her eyes had just enough make up to compliment the colors in her eyes. Her cheeks were lightly decorated with blush. In short: she was gorgeous.

Even Bigby, with being so hardened by life, felt his heart spinning. His brain began to pulse against his skull once more as he stood up quickly.

She tugged at one of her curls, "You clean up nice." she told him.

Was she fucking with him? All he did was throw a damn suit on! She actually tried. Her effort was obvious to a blind man. He swallowed, "I don't think anyone will be looking at me." he murmured, walking into the other room to get a breather.

"Ready to go?" she asked from behind him.

Bigby eyed the clock hanging on the wall, "Yeah," he confirmed, "we should get going."

Once outside, Bigby hailed a cab for them and they got inside. There was another silence that filled the small confined space. Her scent was intoxicating. Finally he couldn't help but comment. A small chuckle came with his words, "No one is going to fucking believe this." he said with a shake of his head, pressing his eyelids with his thumb and index finger.

"Believe what?" she asked, surprised by his actions.

"That you're my date." the wolf shook his head, "Fuck..." he muttered, clasping his hand over his mouth.

She tilted her head and with caution, reach across the seat to put her hand on his wrist, "They'd better believe it. I'm going home with you after all." she winked, trying to make light of the situation. Her hand retreated as quickly as it had arrived, and landed on the curve of the leather seat.

His eyes seemed to glow in the dimness of the cab. His animal instincts wanted to dive across the seat and kiss her. That thought made him turn his head sharply away from her. He had done his best not to reach for a cigarette, but he needed one desperately. He put one in his mouth and lit the end, stifling that wonderful aroma momentarily. He noted they were getting close. It was a short walk from here and he needed the fresh air to disperse her scent in the evening city air, "Stop here." he instructed the driver.

The cab came to a slow stop, allowing them to exit. Bigby paid the man and watched him drive off before turning to the girl. It somewhat felt like a real date. Had he been on a date before? Chelsea offered her hand out to him and he stared at it like it was a ticking time bomb.

"We've got to make it convincing, right?" she wondered.

He took her hand with a firm grip before starting the walk toward the hall where the event was held every year. It was going to be a long night.

Author's notes: Sorry for the slow update! This is the first semester I'm tackling college and a job at the same time and I've been so busy. My class workload hasn't been kind to me either, but I finally got a breather to update for you guys. Send some reviews my way. Thank you for your patience and for reading! See you at the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4: Taste

_Taste_

Bigby tossed his cigarette aside upon their approach to the double doors. He reached for the heavy metal door and pulled it open, allowing his date inside. He wasn't far behind her. He figured he'd be shooing people away all night long from her. Perhaps Snow was right; this wasn't a good idea. Still, if she managed to spot her former assailant, they would be one step closer to answers in the case.

Chelsea scanned the room. Many folks had already started to gather in the grand hall, but none of which was the face she was looking for. She massaged at her shoulder nervously trying to comfort herself. Eyes were already starting to shoot them judgmental stares.

She could tell the whole experience was making Bigby uneasy, so she found his hand once more and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He looked at her, surprised by the tenderness in her touch, but found his hand firmly returning the gesture without his permission.

A very long night indeed.

"Bigby brought a date…" murmured Beast to Beauty a few feet away.

"Is that the Mundy everyone has been buzzing about?" Beauty wondered back in a hushed voice.

Bigby could hear their conversation with his acute hearing. He took a step forward, guiding the blonde through the small sea of people, ignoring any looks he might be receiving. He could smell Snow's scent nearby, so he made a beeline to her.

Snow was having a pleasant conversation with a strapping young man donned in blue. His blonde hair was cut to perfection. He had a boyish nature about him. Snow saw Bigby approaching. He looked more stressed than usual, "Any luck yet?" she asked. Her eyes darted to the girl who had gotten quite dolled up for the occasion. Or_ was it_ for the occasion?

"He's not here." Chelsea told her with a shake of her head.

Bigby couldn't help but comment, "I'm surprised you aren't being swarmed."

Snow scrunched her nose at the displeasure that would bring her, "I'm not the main concern of this event." The woman's cold, blue eyes pierced Chelsea's momentarily, "All anyone can talk about is the Mundy being in the Woodlands."

The blonde flipped her hair over her shoulder, letting a long breath draw out of her nostrils. She felt alienated among these people. She looked about their surroundings to see eyes being cast away when she'd look at them. With a roll of her eyes she faced Bigby, "I'm going to walk around and see if I can find our mysterious gentleman. The sooner he gets here, the better. I don't know if I appreciate being the circus that came to town." she grunted.

"You should never walk around alone at this party." Snow instructed, the corner of her lip arching in disapproval.

Bigby placed his hand on the small of Chelsea's back, shoving his other hand in his pocket, "We'll do a once over then." he said simply, starting the plunge back into the deep sea of guests.

Gatherings made Chelsea claustrophobic. She could feel everyone's eyes on her and it made her stomach do somersaults. They passed a drink table so she paused to pour herself a glass of ice water.

This was the first time Bigby had seen the Mundy girl on edge. She didn't like all of the extra attention. He was probably the worst person to be with at one of these events. Usually he was the one on the receiving end of those daggers.

Chelsea spotted a dance floor in the center of the gathering. She figured that might be a good way to get a full view of the guest list. She gestured her cup toward the open area, "Want to dance?" she asked, completely serious.

The wolf raised an eyebrow, expecting her to be joking. She clearly wasn't.

"I figure that's the quickest way to get a look at the crowd." she admitted, placing her cup down on the table.

"I'm the last person you want to dance with." he told her, casting his gaze away from her. He was hardly a dancer. He'd stare at the floor the whole time and try not to clumsily step on her feet. If she wasn't already embarrassed enough, that would certainly make matters all the better.

A slow song started to come over the sound system. She leaned into him, taking his hand once more, "Humor a girl, will ya? I promise we'll go nice and slow." she winked. She put her lips to his ear, "You can step on my feet. I don't mind." Before he could protest again she pulled him toward the open area designated for dancing. She was a determined little thing. That he couldn't deny.

_I'm not in love… so don't forget it…_

_It's just a silly phase I'm going through…_

When she found an open area she liked, she stopped and proceeded to wrap one of his arms around her waist; and grasp his other hand with hers, lacing their fingertips together. Her free hand was on his shoulder as she slowly started to rock to the music. Bigby's eyes were focused on keeping his feet off of hers. He hadn't noticed how tiny her feet were until just then. She watched his careful gaze trying to decipher each step. An amused smile graced her lips as she stepped in a bit closer to rest the side of her head against his. Her smell engulfed his nostrils and he had to hold his breath to stop the overload of stimuli.

_I'd like to see you, but then again…_

_That doesn't mean you mean that much to me…_

She took a relaxed breath, finally at ease for the first time in this room that evening. The sound of the music kept her focused as she watched over Bigby's shoulder for any familiar faces. Bigby wasn't sure where to focus: on the ground to keep watch over his feet, at all of her delicate features that were just inches away from him, or the eyes that were now on them. Surprisingly he was doing well not to crush her feet, but the thought still haunted him.

_Ooh you'll wait a long time for me…_

_Ooh you'll wait a long time…_

That's when she saw it: those purplish-blue eyes staring at her in the crowd. When their eyes met, a smile appeared on his face. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and putting her lips to Bigby's earlobe, to disguise her actual intentions, "Bigby… he's here." she murmured.

_I'm not in love…_

_I'm not in love…_

Bigby snapped into focus immediately at those words, but continued their dance as evenly as he could, "Where?" was all he mouthed back.

"Behind you. Eleven o'clock." she replied, giving him a rough guestimate of his position. They were both so in focus, she didn't feel the presence nearing them. A gentle hand rested on her wrist, causing her to straighten her posture. That's when she met the eyes of Prince Charming.

"Mind if I cut in, Sheriff?" the Prince wondered with hungry eyes. He had on pristine suit with a saber sheathed at his side.

Suddenly Chelsea's grasp on Bigby's hand was tight with a mix of emotion. She narrowed her gaze at the pretty boy, "He minds." she said before Bigby could snarl at him.

"Come now," Charming said with a soft tone, "what do I have to do to get your attention, Gorgeous?" he called her by that little pet name again, pulling her in closer and away from Bigby, "I enjoy the chase, Love. You're just making this all the more fun for me." he admitted, smoothing back a stubborn curl from her face.

Chelsea used her free hand to press against Bigby's chest, as if to say _I'll handle it._ She was two steps away from snapping.

"You've certainly seemed to have tamed our beloved sheriff, darling. I'm sure I have a few beasts you could tame as well, if that's your style." his fingertips danced up her arm.

Her patience was wearing thin and he was standing between her and some answers, "I'll say it one more time…" she murmured. She bent over slightly, flipping the pretty boy over her body and skidding him overtop of a table, where he fell over the other side with a thud. Now everyone was watching.

The blonde had, had her fill. Her eyes were glowing the radiant white light as she pursued him, hopping over the table with one skip, she grabbed him again and forced him against the wall, "You might want to draw that little, tiny, _minuscule_ sword of yours… Prince." she said lowly, flinging him effortlessly again. Charming gathered himself to his feet, feeling a tad embarrassed by being flung around by his latest chase. Smoothing his hair, he drew his sword to humor her, flashing her his flawless smile. He was mocking her, heeding her demands. What could she do this time? She didn't have a blade of her own.

Her hands started to glow as she came toward him. Extending her light out of her hands she started swinging at the man's sword, once again cutting it down, piece by piece. Her light was so strong in cut through effortlessly. After a nub remained she smacked the remaining piece from his grasp and once again hoisted him off the ground, pinning him to the wall, "You listen to me," she instructed, her voice a mixture of a threatening hiss and an amused purr, "do not touch me again, or I'll cut it off as many times as it takes, to make sure it doesn't grow back." she wasn't taking about a sword. Dropping him to the floor she turned back to all the bewildered stares. She gave them all a stare of death, "Show's over!" she announced, her eyes catching a figure slipping out of the room through a nearby door. Those purple eyes were gone. It had to have been him. He was not leaving without giving her some answers.

She had her mind made up. Quickly she turned on her heel to pursue the man, not looking back to give Bigby any notice. She went out the door the mysterious man used as an exit and found herself in a back alleyway. The gleam of neon letters that spelled exit were the only real source of light. The streetlights at the end of the alley gave a dim source, but again he was gone. She started down the alley, hoping to still get a glance at the man.

"Hey!" barked Bigby from behind her. She immediately froze and took a short glance to see him approaching. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the figure of the man who had been working for tall, dark, and mysterious before. The man who had taken the woman's purse. She panicked. If he caught them, she wouldn't be able to pursue this lead further.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

"For what?" Bigby wondered, sensing her urgency.

"For what I'm about to do." she told him, stepping toward him, and without warning, putting her lips to his. She snaked her fingers into the curls of his hair, pressing her curvy, hour-glass frame against his. One of her hands left his hair to link under his arm and grip his shoulder blade. The softness of her cupid lips teased their counterpart tenderly. His breath tasted of tobacco, but it was a taste that in that moment, pulled her in, making her want more. Bigby could feel his claws starting to surface, so he balled his hands into fists to conceal it. His eyes opened only slightly to catch a glimpse at the girl. They were colored bright yellow. He had to snap them shut tightly to resist the beast beaconing him inside. His body shuttered, repressing the animal urges. A low growl escaped his lips when they parted, feeling her tongue prod at his, before their teeth semi-rubbed against one another. Slowly, she retreated from their lip lock, hearing the man pass by them without a glance.

Public displays of affection tended to make people look away because of some sort of subconscious embarrassment deep inside.

She was breathing heavily, getting a little too wrapped up in the moment. Her chest rose and fell in leaps and bounds. Her eyes darted back and forth between Bigby's eyes that seemed to glow in the dimness of the alleyway. A cold sweat coated the girl's forehead as she quickly peeked around the corner to see where the man was headed, but like before, he had disappeared. Perhaps down another alleyway or altogether. Chelsea sighed and pressed her back to the brick wall behind her. She licked her lips and looked up at Bigby again. Her cheeks were rosy, "He's gone." she said with an almost defeated voice.

Bigby had silently gathered himself in this small frame of time. He took a glance outside of the alleyway, catching the sight of a taxi driving by. He caught a pair of purple eyes staring at him as it went by, "He's in that car." he told her, wanting to chase after it.

Chelsea's eyes grew with surprise. She looked up at the roof of the building adjacent to them, "I can follow them." She started to float off of the ground upward to the roof. Deciding against leaving Bigby behind this time, she put her arm around his body and took him up into the air. Landing on the roof she kicked off her heels and started to pursue the yellow taxi. Leaping from building to building, Bigby made sure not to pass the girl and instead just kept in stride with her. They lost sight of the car for only an instant and that would be an unfortunate mistake. The next street it went down had a traffic jam with a flood of taxis. Chelsea tried to catch her breath, feeling rather defeated by the worthless pursuit, "Dammit!" she cried, marching off in the opposite direction.

They were silent on the way back to the Woodlands. They didn't return to the charity event. Bigby didn't care to listen to Snow barking at him over the way Chelsea handled Prince Charming's pursuits. It was about time some woman stood up to him anyhow. When they entered the apartment, Chelsea was more silent than usual. After they were choking on the silence she turned to him, "I don't care what Snow says. I'm helping Bufkin with research tomorrow. You guys can wipe my mind until I'm a fucking vegetable for all I care. I'm impatient and I've had my fill."

Bigby could respect her pent up aggravation. He felt it wouldn't be helpful to protest this request. At least for now. He lit up a cigarette to take the edge off of the situation, remaining quiet until he had something useful to contribute to the conversation.

Chelsea let out another sigh. She shouldn't have snapped at the one person who's been kind to her through this whole situation. She came a little closer to him, her expression softening into a melancholy smile, "We were interrupted. I think I still owe you the rest of that dance." She put his arms around her waist, and put hers around his shoulders, placing her head against his right shoulder. She instantly relaxed once more against the warmth of his body. He could tell she needed this as she swayed gently, so he let her continue. They moved in semi-circles a few times, no music needed, before she paused and looked back up into those enchanting amber eyes, "Thank you… for tonight, I mean. All things considered… I had a good time." she hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to place a gentle kiss on his cheek before starting for the bedroom to sleep off her emotions. Pausing in the doorframe she looked back at him, "Bigby… I know eventually you guys will have to erase my memory… but I hope… I hope after you do… we can still be friends somehow." with that, she closed the door behind her.

Bigby crushed the cigarette between his fingertips and tossed it in the empty ashtray. Taking off his suit jacket he tossed it over the dinning chair and loosened his tie, before flopping down on his armchair. He couldn't get over the taste she left in his mouth. It burned at his tongue. He'd never be able to forget it.

Author's Notes: The stand alone lines in italics were lyrics from I'm Not In Love by: 10cc. You might recognize it from the Guardians of the Galaxy movie. I needed a song that would fit the time period and situation (since The Wolf Among Us is placed in the 80's.) Little bit of heat in this chapter. Snow's not going to react kindly to Chelsea making a mess at the ball. Hopefully by next chapter some questions will be answered about the mysterious purple eyed man. Drop me a review and stay tuned! Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5: Marked

_Marked_

Night came and went. When the sun rose, so did the Big Bad Wolf. He rubbed the cobwebs from his eyes and took to his feet. There was a silence that filled his apartment he wasn't accustomed to as of late. He noticed the bedroom door was wide open which drew his attention to the empty bed inside. He rounded the corner to find no one in the kitchen. Where had Chelsea gone? On his fridge a note had been placed under a magnet. He unfolded the paper and read the words, _"Went to Snow's office to get some answers. See you when you wake up. - Chels". _

Bigby was out the door in an instant and turned the corner to make his way to the business office door. He went in without knocking this time, hoping Snow hadn't come to her office yet, but he couldn't be that lucky. Both women were at a standoff across a nearby table where books were stacked like towers all about the surface. Bufkin was sitting on Snow's desk at a safe distance from any projectiles that might be thrown.

"Look," Chelsea told the icy woman, "there is some pretty messed up shit going on here and I'm involved. I deserve to know the truth. Wouldn't you want to know if it was you?" she folded her arms in front of her chest, waiting for her response.

Snow was taken back to the incident with Crane, but waved the terrible experience out of her mind, "I understand, but that doesn't excuse your behavior yesterday at the charity ball. Not only that, but you shouldn't be in here without my consent." She looked back and narrowed her eyes at the flying monkey who had innocently let the girl in much earlier this morning.

"Charming got what was coming to him. After many times of saying no, the bastard only hears push harder. I had, had enough. I put my foot down-" she was cut off by Snow cutting in.

"You threatened him and threw him around the room! That is _not_ putting your foot down!" Snow yelled.

"If it reflected so poorly on your business than how come a little flying monkey told me you got a bigger donation this year than the last ten years?" Chelsea snapped back, slamming her hands on the table top.

"Bufkin!" barked Snow, looking back over her shoulder to the now guilty monkey.

"I'm sorry!" the monkey sputtered frantically.

"Look!" roared Snow White, "You don't get to beat on your chest and toss around the residents of Fabletown whenever you like. You may have some enchantment or spell cast on you. I can't imagine how that must be, being a Mundy, but throwing your weight around and abusing that power to get what you want is childish and disorderly. We do things by the book here." the woman smoothed her skirt, shooting daggers at the girl through her stare.

Bigby felt as if he was having deja vu. He had heard this song and dance from Snow in the past. A part of him wanted to agree with Snow, but a majority wanted to stand up for the Mundy girl he felt closer and closer to with each passing moment.

Chelsea's gaze didn't falter from the woman who was lecturing her like she was her mother. She was so angry. So welled up with so much anger. Her eyes had been glowing now for many minutes. Closing them for a long time she lowered her head to look at the floor, "I didn't mean any disrespect. Truly I didn't." she said evenly, which threw off Snow. She expected the girl to try to outdo her in this scream war, but she was tame, "I refuse to apologize for what I did to Charming. I have a pretty good sense of someone's character from the moment I meet them and his is vile and leaves my skin crawling."

The girl's green eyes glistened as they moved back to Snow, "But I'm sorry for any unwanted attention this might have brought down on you or the business office. I just want to be apart of this. I want to know who that man is and try to help. So please… please just let me help."

Snow grabbed at her own arm at the elbow and gave the girl a saddened expression. Silence fell upon the room as she rubbed at her eyes and released a sigh, "Fine…" she agreed, "But… just know the repercussions of doing this. I regret to inform you that, the more you know, the more we will eventually have to wipe from your memory and that can have damaging effects. You seem like a good girl. You have a long life ahead of you and I just- I would never want to cause you lasting harm."

In some sense, Snow had been looking out for the girl this whole time, just in her own distant, grumpy way. Chelsea hadn't realized that until just now. Chelsea focused on the man hanging from the tree in the far off distance of the giant office. She looked like her mind was somewhere else, "What's it like?" she asked, "What's it like to not have to fear death? Is it lonely?" Snow, Bigby, and Bufkin all seemed surprised by the girl's words, "Is that why you don't befriend us humans? Because you would have to watch us die? We're just a fragment in your life. You've probably seen so much death. Is that why you shy away from us?"

Snow lowered her gaze, uncertain at how to answer the girl. It always seemed like they lived in a world divided between them and the Mundies. Now one was on their turf. In the heart of their home. It was so strange.

There was a knock at the door followed by it opening, "Snow," the young man from the night before dressed in a light blue button up shirt and navy sweater vest with dress pants on came into the office. He spotted Chelsea and momentarily paused, "here's those files you wanted." he told her, handing over a small stack of files.

"Thank you, Blue." Snow said with a grateful smile. Boy Blue was one of the most respectful Fables in Fabletown. He was always the gentleman. Snow noticed he couldn't help, but stare at the Mundy girl. Snow licked the inside of her cheek and smiled again, "Boy Blue this is Chelsea. She's our guest."

Chelsea came around the table and offered her hand out to the handsome young man, "I remember you from last night. It's nice to meet you."

She expected Blue to be afraid of her, but instead he offered her a warm grin and took her hand happily, "It's so nice to make your acquaintance. I've never really spoken to a Mundy before. How do you do?"

Chelsea couldn't help, but feel her heart swell. Tears started to come to her eyes, but she forced them back and tried to smile. Finally. Someone knew who didn't treat her like an alien or circus clown. Someone who genuinely didn't mind her being here. Aside from Bigby, no one else had shown her this sort of welcoming hospitality. She wanted to fling her arms around the boy donned in blue and thank him. Instead she settled with, "I'll be doing a lot better once we figure some stuff out."

"Anyway I can help?" Boy Blue asked Snow.

Snow trusted Blue. He was always so genuine. She wandered over to her desk to start sifting through the file he had brought for her and waved her hand, "Go ahead. No point in trying to keep this on the down low anymore." she looked up to finally meet the gaze of Bigby who had stayed quiet through this whole ordeal. She found herself staring at him for a bit before saying, "Glad you're here sheriff. You can help the others search." That was it. She sat back down in her chair and started doing her mayor duties without another word.

Bigby made his way over to the table where the others were pouring over literature. Chelsea smiled at him, happy he was here. She always felt better when Bigby was around, "Good morning, Biggs. Sleep well?" she asked, making idle conversation.

Bigby nodded quietly and started flipping through a book. This would take quite some time, but at least they had many people working on this project and it wasn't left to him and Bufkin to find the answers. He trusted Boy Blue as well. That meant a lot coming from Bigby, who could count on a single hand the people he trusted in all the hundreds of years of his existence.

A couple of hours inched by with little success.

The hair on the back of Bigby's neck started to stand on end when he heard this whisper in his ear. It made him pause from turning a page. It was such a influential voice, "Hello Mr. Wolf," it told him, "I'm sure you've heard about me. I'm the fellow that the Mundy girl has been pursuing. She's important to me you know. I was hoping I could _persuade_ you to bring her to me." In that instant shock waves surged through the wolf that caused him to flinch and then stiffen.

"Bigby?" Chelsea asked with concern. She stood up from her chair when she saw his face contorting with anguish.

"What's wrong?" Snow wondered, starting to make her way over to the group that had formed at the table.

Bigby started to growl, slamming his fists on the table. His claws started to reveal themselves and leave marks in the wood grain.

"Bigby?" Chelsea came to his side, but he pushed her back.

"Get- get away from me." He instructed, trying to tame the beast back.

Chelsea looked to the others who seemed frightened by this display, "You guys should wait outside."

"What?" Snow protested.

"Just do it. Whatever this is, I can handle it." she told them.

Bigby's fangs surfaced. His facial hair grew more bushy and thick. Boy Blue grabbed Snow's wrist, "We should let her handle this."

"She can't handle Bigby!" Snow argued.

"She's the only one who can." Boy Blue corrected, "Bufkin, find some place to hide and stay out of sight." he ordered before forcing Snow out the door and closing it behind them.

Chelsea watched Bigby's movements carefully. His eyes were black with yellow irises. He was a wolfman at this point. Not quite a werewolf.

"Bigby I know you're in there." Chelsea told him. He took a step toward her, so she took a step back, trying to keep him out of arms reach. She knew he was probably quick. She did her best to scan the surroundings while trying to keep her focus on Bigby, "It's _him_ isn't it?" she asked.

And like that the wolf sprang into attack mode. He charged the girl, but she quickly floated high in the air, staying out of his reach, "Bigby…" she murmured.

He jumped on Snow's desk with ease and leapt into the air to try to grab her, only to just narrowly miss. She dodged in the knick of time, flipping through the air and crashing into a nearby wardrobe. Quickly she recovered just as he crashed into the wardrobe that was now laying on its back and continued to pursue her. She flew fast, trying to find a way to lure him out of the office where they couldn't do more damage. Little did she know the passage she stumbled upon led her down into the dark tunnel that housed the Witching Well. It was dangerously dark down here. She cursed herself for choosing some place so dark. Bigby was a wolf. He would be able to see down here. She was at a total disadvantage.

She stilled her breath, looking at her surroundings to see nothing, but darkness. A couple of torches dimly lit certain sections, but that was all. She knew the moment she ignited her hand he would pounce. She couldn't bring herself to inflict pain on him. Maybe that was her enemy's idea all along. She ignited her hand and flung a bolt of light at the first movement she sensed. Bigby dodged her attack and rammed into her, sending her spiraling into the ground. He was overtop of her in half a blink, swiping at her stomach with his claws and tearing her shirt along with her flesh.

The blonde winced. Using her legs she kicked him back before getting to her feet to get away from him again. He barely stumbled back before he was on her tail again, delivering a crushing blow that sent her spiraling into something made of old brick: the Witching Well. She swallowed, putting her back to the well as she sat on the ground, looking around in the darkness. There was a stillness. He was getting ready to deliver a devastating attack. She needed to think fast. Holding her hand against the wound on her belly, she could feel the warmth of blood against her palm. Swallowing, she waited for the sign that Bigby was closing in.

Right as he was lunging forward, she cupped her bloody hand around his nose and mouth, "Snap out of it!" she barked, igniting her free hand to punch him in the stomach, forcing him to hit the ground. She tried to catch her breath, feeling that sinking feeling one gets when they watch that girl in those slasher films when they check to see if their attacker is dead. She bent down next to Bigby, watching his face return to the one she was accustomed to. It was halfway back to it's usual state when he grunted and shook the influence off of him, his eyes slowly returning to the amber she knew.

He looked her over, coughed at the realization of this fiery feeling in his gutt, and saw the crimson that was taking over her shirt. The smell of her blood hung in the air. He could tell his fingertips were coated in it, "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Are you?" she asked, more concerned for him right now.

"That fucker," he murmured, "he was controlling me somehow. Gave me one hell of a migraine." he said, as she pulled him up onto his feet. He eyed her stomach once again, "We need to get you cleaned up." he rubbed his forehead, "I need a cigarette." he admitted.

She chuckled through the pain she was feeling, "Good to know you're back."

"I was aware the whole time." he admitted, implying he never left. He sighed as guilt washed over him. He had attacked her. Somehow through all of it she never once showed fear. She was more concerned about bringing him back. Admittedly, it was the smell of her blood against his nose and lips that made him regain control. The shock that he hurt her was more than he could stand.

She smiled at him, "It wasn't you. Don't feel bad for this. I take solace in knowing you would never hurt me, Bigby." again her tone was as genuine as ever, "Come on," she started for the steps, "we need to get that blood off of you."

He chuckled inwardly at her words. Hurrying forward he came to her side, noticing she was struggling to move with the gash across her abdomen. He did this to her. No matter what she said, he tore into her flesh. He felt her remains underneath his fingernails. It was the first time such a thing disturbed him, "We're going to catch that fucker, Chelsea. I promise you that."

She stared at him with those admiring green eyes.

"What is it?" he wondered.

She shook her head. The smile never left her face, "Nothing."

He had never called her by her name before.

Author's Notes: I had a bit of spare time so I wrote out a chapter for you guys. I hope you enjoyed it. Write me a review if you get the chance and I'll see you at the next chapter.


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